Kuwait General Administration of Customs (KGAC) announced tightening inspection measures at all border centers after warnings that deadly radioactive material went missing in Basra province in southern Iraq. A radiography device using iridium-192 was reportedly stolen from an oil service company in November.

The material could be combined with traditional explosives to produce a dirty bomb, KGAC Director-General Khaled Al-Saif told reporters on Friday. “The state of Kuwait and other neighbors of Iraq have been notified of the ongoing investigations into the whereabouts of the material in order to take the necessary precautions,” Saif pointed out.

“Therefore, customs centers at all border crossings, particularly Abdaly crossing between Kuwait and Iraq, have been put on alert. Six portable devices for detecting radioactive materials have been mounted to monitor vehicles and individuals crossing into Kuwait,” he revealed. The KGAC emergency plan is being implemented in collaboration with the ministries of interior and health and the National Guard, Saif added.